Container for music rolls and the like



C. S. BURTON.

CONTAINER FOR MUSIC ROLLS AND THE LIKE.

APPLICATION FILED FEB; 21, m9. RENEWED DEC. 5, 1921.

Patehted July 18, 1922.

WW5 Zzwa UNITED sur es P rENT OFFICE.

CHARLES S. BURTON, OF OAK PARK, ILLIN-Qls CONTAINER FOR MUSIC ROLLS AND THE LIKE.

Application filed February 27, 1919. Serial No. 279,647.

To aZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that l, UrninLns S. BURTON, a citizen oi the United States, and a resident oi? (lair Park, in the county of (look and of lllinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Containers for Music Rolls and the like, of which the 'i'ollowing is a specification, reference being had. to the accompanying drawings, forming a part thereof.

The purpose of this invention is to provide an improved container particularly adapted for such articles as music rolls and the like, of which the containers are commonly stacli'ed in piles or tiers with the ends only accessible, so that it is desirable to have the contents withdrawable through the end of the container. It consists in the elements and features of construction shown and described, as indicated in the claims.

In th'eldrawings:

Figure l is a perspective view of a container embodying this invention shown with the telescoping closure withdrawn, i. e., at open position.

. Figure 2 is a longitudinal section of said container and a music roll therein at open position.

Figure 3, is a similar section. at closed position.

The structure shownin the drawings comprises a tubular box, 1, having one end open and provided with a telescoping closure, 2, for said open end. The box is of such length as to accommodate the intended contents, namely, the music roll, 3, snugly between the closed end and the telescoped closure when the latter is thrust into closed position. It is desirable that the roll be slightly protruded when the closure is withdrawn, so that it may be grasped. by the hand without the necessity of inserting the fin-' gets into the box or using an implement to reach the roll for drawing it out. It is also important to avoid liability of catching the head of the roll on the end of the box when thrusting it back into the latter. It is also important that the roll shall be secured in the box when it is thrust fully thereinto and the closure is in place, without liability to falling out in carrying the box if it should happen to be carried with the end having the closure downward.

These several purposes are accomplished by the construction shown in which there is employed a strap, 4, secured at one end to the Specification of Letters Patent.

Renewed December 5, 1921. Serial No. 520,159.

body the box at one side of the roll, most conveniently, as shown, the upper side,-tlie strap being adapted to extend from its attachment to the box within the box back around the inner end. of the roll or other content of the box, thence forward on the opposite side from that at which it is secured to the box, to the open end Where it may be engaged and pulled for thrusting the content out of the open end of the'box a sufficient distance to enable it to be seized for further complete withdrawal. In order that the roll may not be thrust too far out of the box when the strap is pulled, and in order also that the strap may notitselt be liable to run far out of the box and thereby present a considerable portion of its length as slack to be taken up when the roll is thrust into the box, means is provided for limiting the extent to which the strap is pulled out to that amount which will thrust the roll out only as far as desired for engaging it by hand. A convenient means for this purpose is that illustrated which consists in receiving the strap through two slots, 7 and 8, formed in the side of the box opposite that at which the end of the strap is secured. With this construction, it will. be seen that the strap can be pulled out no farther than substantially twice the distance from the forward slot, 8, to the rear end of the box, and that the roll can be thrust out by the strap only a distance from said slot to the rear end of the box. In order that the telescopic closure, 2, for the open end of the box may be permanently attached to the box and not liable to be misplaced when it is withdrawn for getting access to the contents, it is preferred to attach this closure to the end of the strap, and thereby also render the closure a means of pulling the strap, or the strap a means of withdrawing the closure. This is most conveniently accomplished by extending the strap to a slit formed in the lower horizontal corner of the telescopic closure, and then folding the strap back under the lower flange of the closure and securing it by paste or otherwise, either to the run of the strap or to said lower flange of the; closure on upper or lower side or both. When this construction is adopted the strap becomes a hinge for connecting the telescopic closure with the box, so that said closure may fold down from the lower edge of the box when it has been withdrawn the distance of its telescoping engagement; and in order that this hinge connection may be somewhat accurate,that is, so as to permit the folding down exactly at the end of the box and at the inner end of the lower flange of the closure, the length of said lower flange is made equal substantially to the distance to which the strap can be withdrawn,that is, double the distance from the slot, 8, back to the rear end of the box.

For locking the roll contents in the box, and thereby also looking the telescoping closure in closed position, there is provided a flat spring, 10, which is fastened to the upper wall of the box and extends on the inner side at a distance forward from the rear end sufficient to afford suitable spring length from the point of fastening back to the end of'the spring, which projects rearward and is adapted to engage in front of the rearhead of the spool of the roll when the latter has been thrust fully into the box. This spring is secured to the box as stated,

' at such position that the strap, 5, covers it,

that is, the spring lies between the strap and the surface of the box to which both the spring and the strap are secured, so that the strap passes around the free end of the spring and thence up over the edge of the spool-head, in order to pass around the end of the spool and down to the lower side of the box along which the strap is withdrawn. With this construction it will be seen that when the roll is pushed in, the head of the spool encountering the strap lying under the spring, slides therealong and presses the spring up so that the latter will snap down in front of the spool head, taking the stra down with it in front of'the spool head; and

. that when the strap is pulled for thrusting outthe roll, the initial movement of'the strap under the pull will lift the end of the spring out of its engagement with the spoolhead, leaving the spool free to yield to the pull of the strap for thrusting it out. As a matter of convenience inconstruction, the end of the strap is secured to the box by be ing engaged between the end of the spring and the box so that the same rivets secure both the strap and the spring to the box body.

As a matter of convenience, for insuring I the return of the roll to the proper box, a

label indicating the contents of the box is applied both on the outer and inner side of the head of the telescope enclosure, as in dicated by the word label shown in the drawings at both the places stated.

When the shoulder or projection on the contained article. as the music roll spool. is quite abrupt, and the engaging catch is also made with an abrupt head for engagement with such shoulder, the stress of the strap against the head of the spool may press the shoulder so strongly against the catch end,-w1th the strap 1ntervening,-as to defeat the disengagement which has to be effected by same pull of the strap. This difficulty may be overcome by any expedient for holding the spool pressed inward by the strap while the strap. is initially pulled against the spool, thus preventing the shoulders from being pressed against the end of the catch. A simple expedient for the purpose consists in taking advantage of the yieldingness of the head of the closure which when made of pasteboard is usually sufficiently yielding, and pressing inward upon the head by the thumb of the operator while engaging the strap lug for pulling to disengage the catch. If the head of the closure is not sufficiently yielding for this purpose, or when the contained article,

as the music spool, is liable to be shorter than the full distance between the two ends, so that pressure upon the head of the closure would not effect pressure against the pull, the result may be obtained by providing a thumb-hole at the head of the closure, through which the operator presses the end of the roll back while engaging the lug to pull the strap. The same result is effected by allowing sufficient play of the strap at its engagement with the lower flange of the closure, so that the closure may be held pressed by the thumb as described while the strap is pulled. This expedient is effective even when the roll is shorter than the box if the play allowed is suflicient to cover this shortage of length. In any of these ore pedients the spool is held pressed inward and prevented from having the abrupt shoulder or forward face of the spool-head pressed against the end of the catch while the initial pull of the strap lifts the catch clear of the spool-head.

I claim l. A container comprising a tubular box having one open end, and a strap having one end secured to the body of the box at a distance forward from the opposite end, and adapted to extend thence'within the box back toward said opposite end for encompassing the dischargeable contents of the box, and thence forward to the open end; a catch for engaging the box contents. the strap being engaged with the catch for disengaging it by the initial withdrawing and content-expelling movement.

2. A container comprising a tubular box having one open end, and a strap having one end securedto the body of the box at a distance forward from the opposite end and adapted to extend thence within the box back toward said opposite end for encompassing the dischargeable contents of the box, and thence forward to the open end; a telescoping closure for the open end of the box,- the strap having slip engagement with the box at a distance forward from its end attachment to the box for limiting the withdrawal of the strap to substantially the distance of the telescoping engagement of the closure with the box, whereby the strap atiords a hinge connection of the closure with the box for folding the closure away from the unclosed end when the closure is Withdrawn to the limit of its telescoping engagement.

3. A container for a longitudinally-rigid article consisting of a tubular box having oneopen end; a telescoping closure for that end; a catch in the box for engaging the contained article when the latter is fully thrust into the box; a strap secured to the box and extending from its securement back from the open end for passing about the inner end of the contained article, and thence Forward to the open end and in its course n'iasliing the engaging end of the catch, and at the forward end conitiected with the telescoping closure and accessible exteriorly thereof for simultaneously drawing the strap taut around the inner end of the article and between the same and the masked catch and Withdrawing the telescoping closure.

a. In the structure defined in claim 3, foregoing, the closure being constructed to afford means for pressing inward against the contents during the initial pull on the strap for releasing the catch.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set my hand at Chicago, Illinois, this 25th day of February, 1919.

CHARLES S. BURTON. 

